Dinner for Two
by Wherever Girl
Summary: An AU of Episode 10, where the night went differently for Tomo and her unexpected visitor/kidnapper. Slight hint of Tomo x Joshua. One-shot.


So I came across the anime _Seikon no Qwaser_ some time back. In my opinion it has great action scenes, a heavy dose of fan-service… but, the characters piss me off. I mean the whole Sasha x Mafuyuu pairing is fine, but it seems like we've seen the romantic setup a hundred times before (boy meets girl, both have issues with each other, eventually fall in love… Kagome and Inuyasha already started this!) Then there's Ekaterina, Hana, and Miyuri- who, frankly, I'd love to see die. Seriously.

However, there are some decent characters on the anime; I think Lizzy is a badass, some of the villains are cool (except the Tanner brothers- happy to see them die *spoilers!*), and Tomo- though kind of one of those 'ditzy' characters- is very sweet and funny.

But the one character that had me watch the anime was Joshua Phrygianos. Sadly, he isn't seen in many episodes, which is a shame because he's… pretty much the best character in the series. I just wish they included him more, and I'm hoping in Season 3 he'll have a lot more screen time.

I looked around the section on Fanfiction, and found that there was only 1 fan-fic about him. Seriously people? That little blonde Christian Grey/Alois Trancy knockoff gets more fics, and Josh-kun is kept on the sidelines?! Bitch, please!

So, with that said, I decided to write fics involving him and Tomo (they're my ship!). This is namely an AU fic of what could have happened during Episode 10, with various changes in circumstances.

Okay enough with the introduction. Let's begin!

Disclaimer: If I owned the anime, there would be a lot of changes- and more Joshua :D

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Tomo watched as Joshua sat against the island counter, head down and eyes closed. It had been five minutes since his speech.

The young, busty purple-haired student had been feeling like dead-weight that night. Mafuyuu, Sasha and Teresa had gone out on a patrol, as there was a Qwaser in the area harassing young girls, searching for one named 'Akari'.

Well, as fate would have it, the Qwaser had been Joshua and- after misreading Japanese text- was actually looking for Tomo… whom he met by accident after the young girl caused a grease-fire when trying to cook dinner; after putting out the flames and showing her how to cook, did Joshua remember his mission and try to kidnap her.

Unfortunately, his plan was a failure. Not only was he unsuccessful at scaring Tomo at all, but he couldn't bring himself to drink any of her soma.

As a Plan B, he decided to hold Tomo hostage and fight Sasha and Mafuyuu once they returned… only then did Tomo show fear- not for herself, but for her friends… feeling more like a burden than she had earlier that night.

She asked Joshua to kill her instead.

That… hit his breaking point.

He chewed her out- claiming she was giving them a reason to stay strong and fight. Being an older sibling, he understood their position.

Such is why he had to find Tomo, to drink her soma and get stronger.

Yet he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Tomo continued to stare at him. After chewing her out, he slumped to the floor, as if trying to gather his thoughts.

She reached forth and rubbed his head. "Stop this and go back to your siblings, Joshua," she said calmly. She continued to run her hand through his hair- it was a mess of black, tangled locks, one strand sticking up while another hung down the side of his face. "If it doesn't make you happy… well, it won't make them happy either, right?"

Joshua sighed, looking at her. "I guess…" he muttered. He looked at her. "You're pretty brave. Any other girl in your position would have broken down in tears,"

Tomo shrugged. "I told you, I'm used to it…" she looked to the ground. "Before Sasha came along, Mafuyuu and I had to deal with a lot of bullying. She was always protecting me- hee hee, I actually started calling her my prince, because the way she defended me made me think of the princes in fairytales,"

"That's cute," Joshua rubbed his arm. "I doubt I'm a prince…" he caught himself, and stood up straight, striking a heroic pose. "B-Because I'm already a king! And my siblings are loyal subjects who look up to me!"

Tomo giggled, standing up. She paused a moment. "Joshua… you said you and your siblings are refugees. What are you running from?"

"Nothing… we just had to get out of our own country." Joshua sighed, leaning against the counter. "Having no parents, we were under risk of being put into child labor. We all came to Japan; shortly afterward, I found that I was a Qwaser. Soon, I found others, joined a group of them, believing I could make a name for myself and provide for my family…"

He developed a faraway look in his eye, a hint of anger in his gaze; his fists were clenching.

Not wanting him to get upset, Tomo rested a hand on his shoulder. "Do they know where you are? Your siblings." She asked.

"Y-Yeah. I just told them I was going out. They'll be okay- they may be young, but they know how to take care of themselves until I get back," he looked at the clock. "They might be getting ready for bed now."

Tomo looked at the clock and gasp. "Oh! I still have to make dinner before the others get home!"

Joshua nodded, grinning. "Okay, I'll help,"

"Really? Thanks! You're such an excellent cook, they'll be so happy!" Tomo had to spin around in excitement. She stopped just then, feeling a chill, and realized she was wearing nothing but an apron. "Um… w-would you mind getting started? I need to find some warm clothes,"

Joshua blushed, a hint of shame on his face as he remembered how he cut off Tomo's clothes. "Um… y-yes, that's fine. Just hurry back- I don't think your friends would react well to a stranger in the kitchen,"

Tomo gave a nod and hurried out. She stopped by a window, looking out.

What was taking her friends so long?

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

 _Meanwhile…_

"Sasha… he's gone… can't we just head back?" Mafuyuu groaned, her feet aching from hiking around the woods so much. "Tomo's still alone at the house!"

"We can't rest until we find out who that was," Sasha said, his scythe held tightly in his grip. "Such power… what kind of qwaser are they, and how did their sword just emit music like that?"

"Sasha, with all due respect, we should return." Teresa said, her face stoic as always. "It is getting late. Tomo is all alone at the cabin. We still need to eat dinner. If we waste any more energy, not only will Mafuyuu and I run low on soma, but you won't have the strength to fight if the qwaser shows up again. Also, since no harm came to us, there is a chance that we were mistaken."

Sasha sighed. "Alright, we'll go back." He looked around. "Which way back to the cabin?"

The two girls paused, Mafuyuu gaping at him in shock. "You mean, we came all this way, and _you weren't paying attention to where we were going_?!" she snapped.

"I was busy hunting down that qwaser! Besides you live around here, you should know the area!"

"I don't know it THAT well!"

"Oh dear. We're lost." Teresa sighed, as the two argued back and forth.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

While Sasha and Mafuyuu were *ahem* 'trying' to find their way back, Tomo had returned to the kitchen, wearing a pair of pajama pants and long-sleeved shirt; remembering Mafuyuu's concern over her catching a cold, she decided to dress warm.

Entering the kitchen, an aroma filled the air. "Mmm… it smells good!" she said, walking over to Joshua as he cooked.

"Did you expect otherwise?" Joshua responded smugly. "It should be done in five minutes, so you can set the table,"

"Okay," Tomo replied, walking over to the cupboard and grabbing a few dishes.

As she set the table, Joshua looked over at her, giving a soft smile. The Successor of Hermes-Trismegistus couldn't help but imagine her as a lovely housewife, setting the table for him after a long day of work, calling his siblings to the table; then afterward, the couple would settle down on the couch, snuggling up to each other and… and…

A scent penetrated his nostrils, and he looked at the dish, finding that during his fantasy he forgot to stir the rice! "S-Shit!" he cursed quietly, stirring it quick while moving the pan to an unused burner.

"Hm? Is everything okay, Joshua-san?" Tomo asked.

"Yeah, it's ready!" he finished the dish and walked over to the table, dividing the meal onto five plates. "When will your friends be back?"

Tomo shrugged. "I don't know. I figured they would have been back by now. They went out to search the area for a Qwaser who was lurking around," she smiled, giggling just then. "Won't they be surprised to find he made us dinner!"

Joshua flinched in alarm. "T-They're looking for me?! H-How did they find out…?"

"Well… Our classmate, Miyuri, said you scared a girl, telling her to get her breasts out. From the way she told it, it sounded like a horror-story!"

Joshua thought back, then let out a groan. "Twisted rumor…!" he muttered, and Tomo gave him a curious glance. He sighed. "That's not… EXACTLY how it happened. I was actually walking around late at night, searching for Akari- that is, you. I saw one girl running to the restrooms and figured, 'A girl running around at night? Perhaps I can scare the information out of her,'. …at least, that's what I tried…"

"What happened?"

He sighed. "I told her to show me her breasts when I learned you weren't around… and in response she kicked me in the balls, called me a pervert, and took off. She was more disgusted than afraid. …then again, it was better than the last few times,"

"Hm? You did this to other girls?"

"Sort of… One girl laughed, thinking I was some creep looking for a one-night stand and walked off giggling; another girl… well, actually, it turned out to be a guy, and he punched me in the face; and then this one girl- geez, before I said anything, she squealed, tackled me, took a selfie, and ran off with my pants!"

Tomo had to suppress a giggle. "Why did she do that?!"

"She said something about me being 'Spike Spiegel' (whoever the hell that is) and being my biggest fan… I don't know! I think girls in Japan are crazy! You're all so lenient on sexual harassment, apparently!"

Tomo shrugged. "Don't worry. Once you get around and check out more of our culture, you'll find there's a lot of good things about our country."

Joshua nodded. "I know. I've been around a bit. It's quite beautiful in some areas, and the meals you have are delicious- for what we can afford, at least,"

Tomo pondered a bit. "Why don't you get a job as a chef? You're really good at cooking, and I'm sure someone would love to hire someone with your skills!"

Joshua rubbed the back of his neck. In his mind, being a good cook wouldn't exactly help him out of his situation with his 'comrades'- if they learned he decided to give up his life as a qwaser just to pursue cooking, they would increase their abuse… maybe even go after his siblings. Unless he could become the next Sanji and be able to fight as good as he can cook, there was nothing he could do…

"It would be a waste of time," he told Tomo. "I'm a powerful Qwaser! The Successor of Hermes-Trismegistus is made for something more than working in a kitchen! Once I get stronger… I'll show them all I'm capable of…"

"You said that before…" Tomo whispered. "Who exactly is 'them'?"

Joshua waved a hand at her, looking away grimacing. "No one of your concern! …finish your meal before it gets cold,"

Tomo nodded, and they resumed the meal in silence after that.

Afterwards, she covered the remaining plates in shrink-wrap in order to keep them warm, leaving a note on the table for the others. Joshua walked towards the door. "I should go. It's getting late… my little sister might be waiting up for me," he said.

"Joshua, wait…" Tomo walked over to him. "If you want to get stronger, why don't you stay with us? Sasha is a Qwaser too, and he could probably help you train."

Joshua shook his head. "Sorry… but the others I work with would probably kill me for working with an enemy,"

She cocked her head. "Enemy…? What do you mean?"

Joshua only patted her on the shoulder. "Just stay brave." He gave a smile. "It was nice meeting you… Akari,"

She blushed, smiling back. "It's 'Tomo', silly."

"Right. …See you," With that, he was out the door.

Tomo shut the door, turning back to the kitchen. That's when she noticed her visitor/intruder had left his jacket on the counter- having thrown it on the grease-fire to snuff out the flames. Picking it up, she rushed to the door. "Joshua-san, wait! You forgot-!" she called, only to find he had vanished.

She sighed, closing the door once more and walking over to the living room. She picked up her stuffed bunny, looking at it while setting the jacket on the sofa, sitting down. "Joshua-san wasn't all that bad, hoppity," she said, raising her pitch in order to give the plush toy a voice.

"No, he wasn't. I'm worried though…" she said.

She made the rabbit cock its head. "You think he's in trouble?"

"I don't know… but something must be wrong, if he wants to get stronger."

"If he stayed… maybe you could have been his Maria! Hoppity,"

"That would be great! But… he wasn't willing to take any of my soma. Well, he was, but he couldn't." she smiled. "Which means he has a good heart- and people with good hearts always have a lot of strength. He's really strong, doing everything he can to protect his siblings!"

"Just like how Mafuyu, Teresa, and Sasha protect you! Hoppity,"

"That's what Joshua said! Hmm… You know, Mister Rabbit, I'm going to work hard to get stronger too. I know I help give everyone a reason to stay strong, but I want to be strong for them too, and be able to protect them."

"How?"

"I don't know yet… But, I'll find a way!" she looked at the jacket.

She turned the rabbit so it did the same. "Maybe once you're stronger, you can help him, too."

"Yes. I'll help everyone." She picked up the jacket, hugging it close. It still smelled like smoke, but the scent was relaxing, reminding her how this whole revelation came to be. She lied down on the couch, snuggling both her stuffed bunny and the jacket. "Goodnight, Mister Rabbit,"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It was practically the middle of the night by the time Sasha, Mafuyuu and Teresa made it back to the cabin. "*huff huff* I'm SO sorry, Tomo!" Mafuyu exclaimed as she burst through the door. "We would have been here quicker if SOMEONE paid attention to where he was going!"

"We're back, aren't we?" Sasha sneered; the two of them glared at each other.

"Tomo's not in here," Teresa stated, looking around the kitchen; she noticed the meal on the table. "…But, it seems she made dinner,"

Mafuyu's eyes widened. "Waaah…?! Tomo doesn't know how to cook!" she sputtered.

Sasha walked over to one of the plates; he took a bite… and his eyes widened. "For someone who can't cook, she's a great chef! This is delicious!" he stated, then muttered under his breath. "(maybe I won't have to eat borscht the whole time I'm here after all…)"

Mafuyu arched an eyebrow; if Sasha was willing to eat something not made in Russia, it must have been good. She took a bite next, saliva building up in her mouth at the taste. "This… this is excellent! How could Tomo cook so well?"

Teresa, in the meantime, was looking at a note left on the counter. "Tomo didn't make this. …That Qwaser we were looking for was here." She stated, her expression remaining stoic despite the alarm.

"PTHHH!" were Sasha and Mafuyu's initial reactions.

"It must be poisoned!" Sasha exclaimed.

"T-Tomo! Where is she?!" Mafuyu ran out of the kitchen.

Entering the living room… she saw her foster sister curled up on the couch, a warm smile on her face as she slept, snuggled with a jacket and her stuffed rabbit.

Teresa entered. "Don't worry. He didn't hurt her. Look," she said, holding up the note for both Sasha and Mafuyu to read.

" _Mafuyu-san,"_ it began. _"Don't worry about dinner tonight. While you were gone, another Qwaser came in- he helped me cook a meal (I tried but… well, I'm just happy he knew how to put out a grease fire). He tried to kidnap me and take my soma, but it's okay; he didn't hurt me. His name is Joshua, and he's actually very nice; he has someone to protect too, so tell Sasha he doesn't need to go after him. The dinner he made is really good! Sit down and eat. I'll probably be getting ready for bed by the time you get home. Enjoy the meal! ~Tomo."_

"So… he wasn't a threat?" Mafuyu guessed.

Sasha looked over the note, then at Tomo. "It seems you were right, Teresa. We were chasing the wrong guy." He said, then crumbled the note. He walked over, taking the jacket from Tomo. "Don't worry. I know who Joshua is- he's harmless. Tomo would be in as much danger with him as she would with a kitten," He then turned and walked back into the kitchen. "At least we know the food's good,"

Teresa followed him. Mafuyu looked at Tomo, sleeping on the couch. Letting out a sigh of relief, she grabbed a blanket and covered her with it.

"I don't know what happened here tonight," she whispered, sitting down next to her sister and rubbing her head. "But at least I know you managed to stay safe. …Goodnight, Tomo-san."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

After dinner, Sasha went out, claiming he was going to keep an eye on things while the girls slept.

However, he did more than that. He walked down the road, spotting footprints that led down an alley. Halfway there, he spotted a figure sitting on a bench at a bus-stop.

"Roentgenium," Sasha said to Joshua- who gave a jolt.

"Sasha!" Joshua gasped, standing on his feet, fists clenched in determination. "Qwaser of Iron! So, you've finally come to battle me, have you?!"

"Tch," Sasha tossed him the jacket. "You forgot your jacket."

Joshua gave him a look. "Don't treat me like I'm inferior! I'm as much as a match as-!"

*Swish!*

Sasha summoned his scythe, giving Joshua a hard look.

The Successor of Hermes-Trismegistus paled, developing a shocked chibi-look on his face. Clearing his throat, he stood up straight. "But… I will have to spare your life for this night. I have more important matters to attend to- I have no time for a fight, no matter how quick it would be."

"…Right." Sasha said, rolling his eyes, then walked away.

Joshua unleashed a heavy sigh, sitting back down.

"Thanks for taking care of her, by the way."

The roentgenium user paused, looking back at Sasha… but the iron user had disappeared.

Joshua only gave a nod. "Just do the same for her," he whispered. A bus pulled up and he got on, heading home to his siblings.

END.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: So, what do you guys think? I'm sorry if anyone seemed OOC, but I did my best.

Also, I have another Tomo x Joshua story on the Quotev website (I've only posted two chapters though). Just go there and type in 'Tomoshua Drabbles' in the story-section. Kind of has some heavy-ecchi, so if you have high blood-pressure, better read with caution XD

With that said, please review but don't flame, and let me know if you want to see more from this pairing.


End file.
